


Tangled Wires

by nobu_akuma



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Canon Queer Character, Characters use "queer" as an umbrella term, Depictions of anxiety, Depictions of depression, F/M, M/M, Multi, Queer Character, Queer Themes, Random oc is random, References to other podcasts, Semi-Canon Compliant, Tags Subject to Change, and it causes some beautiful chaos, defensive sammy is defensive, guess who loves libraries? that's right. everyone, jack is our pov, jack makes assumptions, lots of intercharacter dynamics wooo, mostly about ben and sammy's relationship, post ep 100, rating might change later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27339904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobu_akuma/pseuds/nobu_akuma
Summary: Jack Wright finally got out of the hellscape of a void go discover years and years have passed and even worse, his beloved fiance Sammy was avoiding him and Sammy's feelings for a certain co-host of his.
Relationships: Ben Arnold & Emily Potter & Sammy Stevens, Ben Arnold & Jack Wright, Ben Arnold & Lily Wright, Ben Arnold & Sammy Stevens, Ben Arnold/Emily Potter, Emily Potter & Sammy Stevens, Jack Wright & Lily Wright, Sammy Stevens & Lily Wright
Comments: 58
Kudos: 38





	1. And So It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first like big kfam fic and I'm really excited for everyone to read it. I'm still working on it, so updates are gonna be a bit sporadic but I think it's going to turn out awesome!
> 
> Thanks to the lovely FallingOceans for being my beta and co-conspirator and to Penguonice for being my semi-arbitrary deadline! Love you guys!

Jack sat, staring at the radio as he listened to Sammy's laugh. It simultaneously filled his heart with joy and tore it to pieces. The fondness in his voice achingly familiar. And all that affection directed at his co-host, Ben Arnold.

"Love you, man." Ben laughed.

"I love you too, Ben." Sammy said, the sound of hair ruffling coming through the airwaves.

Jack breathed out a watery laugh and clicked off the radio. Sammy had moved on. Sammy was happy. Sammy had fallen in love again. There was nothing to tie them back together.

***

Jack rose blearily, clicked on the radio and went to wash his face. He froze, water falling through his fingers as his sister's usually sassy voice was full of affection in a way he'd never heard from her before.

Jack turned towards the radio as his sister's voice spoke softly with a woman named Katie. He really couldn't believe his ears. Was- was Lily falling in love? That meant she didn't need him. Especially not if he was just going to weigh her down. Weigh her happiness down. 

He took a deep breath, setting his shoulders. He had one thing he had to do and then he'd carve his own path, out of respect of Lily and Sammy carving their own.

***

Jack wasn't someone who would follow someone without their knowledge. Well, not usually. But he had to make sure he was right. That this ~~incredibly attractive~~ man was in fact Ben Arnold.

"Hey Ben," the Sheriff ruffled the smaller man's hair.

"Troy! C'mon!" The man swatted at the other.

"What? Are you planning on seeing someone special tonight, Arnold?" Sheriff Troy teased.

"Mmmmaybe." The man, almost certainly now Ben Arnold, grinned. It was so bright that Jack had to blink so as not to be blinded by it. The people around Ben seemed to gravitate a little closer to him.

Jack hummed thoughtfully, being careful to not to draw anyone's attention as he slid through the store. There! Jack saw his chance and moved towards the other man, a smile and open body language, "Ben Arnold?"

"I am," Ben turned to him with a smile. An expression of recognition and shock spread across Ben's features.

"I just wanted to thank you for ensuring Sammy continues to smile and to ask you to continue to take care of him, Ben." Jack said quickly and turned to leave. He paused for a moment to say, "I'm really happy he has you."

Then Jack walked out of the store. He wasn't sure where he was going to go next. Every step was exhausting. Maybe he should try to get to the station and talk to Lily? Or maybe he could convince a trucker to let him hitchhike out of here? He really didn't want to put Lily out. She sounded happy too on the radio.

And maybe after he'd gotten back on his feet, he'd call her. Sure, she'd be angry, but it's better than ruining the life she was making here in King Falls. But that was a future Jack problem. Current Jack had to figure out how to find someone on their way out of town. He stepped off the curb, onto the crosswalk. 

A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders, pulled him back onto the sidewalk and spun him. Ben Arnold held him in place as the shorter man gasped, "Jack?! Jack Wright!?"

***

Jack couldn't help but linger in the doorway of the recording room, wondering how Ben had convinced him to come up here.

"I can't believe you, Ben." Sammy sneered.

"Would you just listen for a second?" Ben pleaded.

"No! I will not! Not when you bring in  _ things _ like  _ that _ _!_ " Sammy jabbed a finger towards Jack, "Did you even check if it was human?"

"My heart stats say he's real! When have I been wrong about something like this!" Ben argued.

"I'm not playing your weird little empathy game on this, Ben! Not on Jack!" Sammy snapped. 

"Sammy, I'm sorry." Jack began softly. Both sets of eyes snapped to him as he continued, "I shouldn't have stopped to talk to Ben. I just… I wanted to thank him for making you happy. Then I was going to leave, I promise."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere." Sammy laughed bitterly, "Not until Troy gets here anyway."

"It's not like Troy can arrest him, Sammy, he hasn't done anything!" Ben argued.

"What do you expect us to do when we don't know if it's real or not, Ben? We can't exactly let it roam around town! Remember Tim1000?!" Sammy reminded.

"Can you stop?! I thought you trusted me, man!" Ben crossed his arms and glared, though his eyes were getting watery.

"Ben, this is different! This is about Jack!" Sammy crossed his own arms, "And this  _ thing _ you think is him!"

"What if I'm right though?! What if he  _ is _ Jack, Sammy?!" Ben shot back.

"I'm telling you,  _ it _ isn't!" Sammy snapped. 

They were cut off by a phone ringing. Ben pulled out his cell and Sammy rolled his eyes. Ben answered the call, "Hey Em."

Sammy huffed and leaned on the table, eyes never leaving his co-host.

"Oh, no, uh, we're at the station. I… I found someone-"

"Some _ thing _ ." Sammy corrected with a growl.

Ben glared at him, "Some _ one _ while I was grabbing some stuff for tonight."

There was a knock on the door and Sammy moved to open it. Sheriff Troy and a man in a mech suit walked in. Fear shot through Jack but he stayed put. If Sammy wanted him to go with these men, he would.

"Hey there, buddy." Sheriff Troy greeted Jack gently.

Jack stiffened but managed a small, "Hi."

"We just wanna take you somewhere safe to run a couple tests." The Sheriff said. 

"And what happens if I fail?" Jack asked.

Sheriff Troy and the man in the mech suit exchanged a look before the latter offered a small smile, "Well, that depends on you, Jack, and if you are a bot, if we can remove the kill protocols."

"I-if I am and you can't…" Jack took a shuddery breath, "take me apart so you can defeat the bots."

"Okay." They agreed softly.

Jack held up his wrists, "I assume you want to take every precaution?"

"Yeah, sorry, bud." Troy sighed and put him in cuffs.

Jack let himself be led out of the station but couldn't help looking back at Sammy, who was purposely not looking at him.

***

Jack had been set up in a chair in some sort of barn laboratory? Space? Thing? Sheriff Troy and the man in the mech suit, Tim, had put him through various tests, pulled blood, saliva and had even put him under for a test he honestly didn't want to know what was given the ache in his arm. Not to mention Sammy's questions into his very lacking memory.

He stretched best he could while strapped to a chair and blinked around heavily, the anesthesia slowly leaving his system. He jumped when a figure stepped forward.

"Sorry."" Ben winced.

"It's okay." Jack managed around the cotton feel of his tongue.

"Um, can I ask you something?" Ben asked, clicking a pen anxiously. 

"Well, it's not like I'm going anywhere." Jack shrugged.

Ben grimaced then cleared his throat, "Um, why were you planning on leaving? Especially before talking to Sammy and Lily?"

"They don't need me, Ben. They've both moved on." Jack tried to keep the bitter out of his voice as he said, "You of all people should be able to see that."

"Wh-what do you mean 'me of all people'?" Ben frowned, clicking his pen again.

"I mean, y'know, as Sammy's boyfriend." Jack said as nonchalantly as he could.

"His  _ what _ ?!" Ben squawked, jaw dropping, "But I'm not-! He's not-! I'm not gay!"

Jack blinked, "Okay… And?"

"S-Sammy and I aren't… together." Ben managed.

"Really?" Jack asked.

"Yes, really! I'm a one woman man!" Ben huffed.

"Okay but first, Sammy isn't a woman. Second, bisexuality exists. Third," Jack looked at him incredulously then, "have you  _ heard _ the way you talk to Sammy?"

"Wait, wait, does that mean you think Sammy like  _ likes _ me?" Ben asked, his voice pitching higher near the end of his sentence. 

"Well, I don't exactly think Sammy would come out of the closet just to have fun with someone." Jack shrugged.

" _ What!?" _ Ben absolutely squeaked, hysterical laughter spilling from him, "There's absolutely no way!"

"Uh, you okay?" Jack raised a brow. 

"Yeah! Totally fine! Completely chill! Just gotta go do a thing! Bye!" Ben all but ran out of the barn.

"Well… that happened…" Jack muttered.

***

Jack stirred at the sound of a conversation just outside the barn.

"He's passed the Turing test, the CAPTCHA tests, all other tests we can possibly run, Sammy." Tim said, "So he's either a  _ highly _ sophisticated AI or, well, or he's Jack."

"But his memories-" Sammy objected.

"Sammy, sweetie," A kind female voice interrupted gently, "I had memories missing when I came back from being abducted. Maybe it's just a trauma response?"

"Or maybe he's a more sophisticated version of the bots, Emily." Sammy argued and Jack could  _ hear _ that his arms were crossed.

"Sammy, you know I love you and want to trust your instincts on this." The woman, Emily, said.

"But." Sammy sighed.

"But we can't leave him here. He hasn't hurt anyone and seems pretty sincere." Emily finished.

"It is  _ not _ living with me." Sammy said firmly.

"Well, I could take him in," Emily began.

"No way in hell!" Sammy objected.

" _ Or _ I can take  _ you _ in and we have him live with Ben and Lily til he gets on his feet." Emily suggested.

Sammy made a displeased but not totally against it noise.

"Or the five of us can live in one of the apartments so that way we can fight things off as a group?" Emily offered.

"None of these options are great." Sammy grumbled.

"It's what we've got, Sammy. We want someone to keep an eye on him, right?" Emily asked.

"I-" Sammy was cut off by a phone ringing.

"Hello? Benny?" Emily asked. There was a pause and a hint of frustration, "I thought we agreed that we weren't going to tell Lily until we got the test results back."

"Wait, Ben told Lily?" Sammy asked, panic tinged in his voice.

"Apparently." Emily sighed.

"Jack in the Box Jesus, I'm a dead man." Sammy groaned.

"I mean, probably, yeah." Emily agreed.

"Stevens!" Lily's voice shouted, loud and angry.

"Oh fu-" Sammy began. 

The sound of a punch and someone hitting the ground had Jack struggling to get out of his chair. Did Lily just punch Sammy?!

"You son of a bi-" Lily shouted.

"Lily! Stop!" Ben yelled.

"Let go of me, Arnold! He deserves it!" Lily struggled.

"Lily! We  _ all _ agreed to hold off on telling you!" Emily said.

"How _dare_ _you_?! That's _my_ brother!" Lily snarled.

"Or! He could've been a murderbot! That's why we weren't going to tell you til the results came in!" Ben said.

"Yeah, thanks for that, Ben." Sammy snarked. There was some shuffling and Sammy cleared his throat, "Why don't you and Lily go let him out?"

"I'll make sure Sammy gets home safe." Emily added.

"O-okay." Ben managed.

There was a long quiet moment before the barn door was opened. Jack blinked and Lily was at his side, getting him out of his restraints.

"I can  _ not _ believe him! That he let  _ this _ happen to you!" Lily hissed.

"It's not Sammy's fault, Lily." Jack said. At her sharp look he glared back, " _ I'm  _ the one who came to King Falls.  _ I'm  _ the one who got dragged into the Void. If it's anyone's fault out of the three of us, it's mine."

"It's not any of your faults though." Ben said, drawing their gazes. He swallowed and continued, "It's the fault of the Void and the one who controls it. We  _ all _ know that."

"I meant being restrained in a slap-dash Stark lab and tested on extensively, Arnold." Lily rolled her eyes.

"But Sammy was right to worry, if all that I've heard is anything to go by. And I came here willingly. For everyone's sake." Jack said seriously.

"Fine. I  _ won't  _ punch him again. . . Probably." Lily sighed.

"His eye was already swelling by the time he and Emily left." Ben said, a mix of annoyance and respect.

"He had enough time to block." Lily shrugged before managing to finally release Jack from his binds.

"Please don't punch my- I mean, Sammy." Jack sighed at his sister, rubbing his wrists.

Both Ben and Lily's eyebrows rose. Lily leaned back on her heels and scowled, "Did Stevens break up with you?"

"Not in so many words, but it's pretty clear he moved on while I was gone." Jack shrugged at the ground.

"Yeah, I thought that at first too and I'll give him this, he certainly tried." Lily grumbled. She placed a hand on Jack's shoulder, "Anyway, you good to stand?"

"Should be." Jack said. He leveraged himself onto his feet easily enough.

"Awesome. Let's get you to the apartment." Lily smiled.


	2. Time to Get Settled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone for the warm welcome and comments I got on chapter one! I'm super excited to continue this story's journey with everyone!
> 
> Once again, my thanks to FallingOceans for beta-ing!
> 
> Now, guys, gals and nonbinary pals, onto the fic!

Jack idled as Lily worked on unlocking the apartment door. He could just make out the conversation going on behind it.

"Y-you can't be serious! Sammy!" Ben exclaimed. 

"Look, you know how I feel about what's going on and you should understand why I'm not comfortable living here with it under the same roof." Sammy sighed.

Lily rolled her eyes, quietly opening the door. Together they entered and closed it behind them.

"Sammy, what if he really is Jack?" Ben argued.

" _ If _ it is Jack, then he'll understand." Sammy stated simply.

Ben huffed, throwing his arms up in frustration before crossing them and turning to where a young woman stood in the kitchen. She patted him gently on the arm.

"Besides," Sammy added softly, "I need you here to keep an eye on Lily, Ben."

"Excuse you! I did just fine on my own, Stevens!" Lily hissed.

"Oh?" Sammy laughed and opened a cupboard. It was full of wine bottles and some junk food. Sammy gestured at it, "Pretty sure this is  _ your _ cupboard, Lily."

"And?!" Lily huffed.

Sammy gestured at Lily's cupboard again and glanced at it. With a frown he picked up a paper snack bag, "Lily, what the heck are cheddar fish crackers? Could you not afford actual Goldfish?"

"I simply like that brand better." Lily crossed her arms.

"You... you like Walmart brand Goldfish better than actual Goldfish?" Ben asked, brows furrowed with concern and disbelief.

"Yes. Yes I do." Lily said, clearly intending to stick to her story.

"I- I don't know how to respond to that." Ben shook his head as though clearing his thoughts, "Besides, that wasn't the point of the conversation. Lily, can you please talk some sense into Sammy?"

"No. If he wants to run away again, he will. There's nothing either of us can say about it that'll change his cowardly ways." Lily scoffed.

"Oh, excuse me for not being comfortable with the idea of Jack supposedly magically being back and instantly opening my arms and heart to him. Especially when we've seen what the Science Institute can do!" Sammy snapped. He narrowed his eyes at Lily, "And  _ I'm  _ not using my grief as an excuse for my shit coping mechanisms anymore."

"Fuck you, Stevens! Just cuz you eat healthy and hike now doesn't mean you're any better than me!" Lily snarled.

"Lily, Sammy-" Emily began.

"Enough! Both of you!" Jack snapped, frustration and worry bubbling in his stomach, "Is this how you two have been the entire time I've been gone?!"

They were both too stunned to talk for a moment. 

Lily laughed bitterly, "No. He abandoned me for nearly three years and tried to avoid me when I got dragged into this damn town."

"Sammy?" Jack turned to him. Sammy's jaw was set and his fists clenched. Jack took a step forward, "Sammy."

"What I did after  _ my _ Jack vanished has  _ nothing _ to do with  _ you _ ." Sammy snarled. He then grabbed a duffle bag and marched out the door.

"Sh-should I..?" Ben murmured.

"I'll go after Sammy, Benny. You get Jack settled, okay?" Emily soothed.

"Okay." Ben nodded.

Emily pressed a kiss to his cheek, grabbed her keys and jogged after Sammy. When the door closed, Ben quietly made some large arm and hand movements before rubbing his face.

Ben took a deep breath and nodded to himself, "Okay, okay, okay, okay. Jack."

"What about him?" Lily glared.

"Lily, I'm not picking a fight so could you please, please shelve the anger?" Ben sighed, "I'm just trying to figure out where his space is going to be."

"Oh," Lily's shoulders relaxed, "fair enough, sorry."

"I think we've got an air mattress around here somewhere." Ben announced, moving to look in a closet.

***

Jack laid awake on the air mattress Ben had generously offered him. His host had left around eleven and Lily was sleeping soundly on the couch. Neither had heard from Sammy since he'd stormed out.

Jack sighed and turned on his side. He really should've just left when he'd had the chance. They would've been so much happier if he hadn't been compelled to talk to Ben. Sammy wouldn't have left the apartment like he had. Lily wouldn't have been so defensive and gotten into that argument with Sammy.

Jack curled into himself and the blanket. It was all his fault.

The door opened and Jack stilled instantly. He strained to hear. The door closed and a sigh escaped the person who'd entered.

"Jack in the Box Jesus, Sammy's stubbornness is gonna get him killed one of these days." Ben grumbled just above a whisper. He moved into the kitchen, the light popping on. Another sigh escaped Ben, "What a mess."

Jack listened as a cupboard was opened, followed by… writing? He was tempted to peek but his desire to  _ not _ have an awkward middle of the night conversation with the man Sammy had fallen for was far greater. Ben muttered as he wrote and Jack wondered just what he was working on. He caught a few words that had him furrow his brow. “Heart stats”. Whatever that meant.

Suddenly, footsteps rushed from the kitchen and out the door. Jack sat up and looked at the door just as it was being locked. He frowned but slowly got up and meandered to the kitchen. Nothing looked askew despite Ben’s rush out the door. Jack, for no reason, looked in the fridge before turning off the light and heading back to his sleeping spot.

***

“I mean, you can always come help me at the station.” Lily said as she adjusted her hair.

“I feel like that’s just going to make the situation worse, Lil.” Jack sighed.

“Oh come on, what’re you even gonna do? Just sit alone in the apartment all day and mindlessly watch tv?” Lily frowned.

“I don’t know. I kinda have years of news and knowledge to catch up on for one.” Jack said.

“Well, I can tell you one good piece of news. Same-sex marriage is legal in all fifty states and several other countries.” Lily shrugged.

Jack blinked, “I… Wait. Really?”

“Yeah, really.” Lily smiled.

Jack couldn’t help but tear up at that, trying to wrap his mind around the information. It filled his heart too full with happiness. People like him could marry the ones they wanted. Finally. It was a huge step forward. But… realization hit Jack like a truck and his shoulders slumped. But he didn’t have anyone to marry anymore, did he?

Lily seemed to realize what he had at the same time, pulling Jack into a tight hug, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be fine.” Jack whispered as he hugged her back. He cleared his throat and pulled back, wiping at his eyes, “It’ll be fine.”

“Do you want me to-” She began.

“No,” He laughed, “I do not want you to try to ‘beat sense’ into Sammy, Lil.”

“But it’d be so much fun, Jack.” Lily smiled. Jack gave her a look and she laughed, ruffling his hair, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But I do actually have to get to work, so are you coming or?”

“I think I’m going to stay here today. Maybe tomorrow, okay?” Jack said.

“Okay.” Lily nodded, giving him one last hug before heading out the door.

“Love you too, Lily.” Jack sighed.

***

After an hour of mindlessly watching the few cable channels available on the tv, Jack switched it off. He needed to do  _ something _ . So Jack got up and headed to the kitchen. He looked around curiously, peeking in cabinet after cabinet.

He didn’t find anything particularly interesting until he opened one of the cupboards labeled “Ben”. Jack frowned as he noticed a handful of notebooks not quite hidden behind a ceramic Luke Skywalker on a Taun Taun figurine. Carefully, he moved the figurine to one side, sliding a notebook out to look at it.

Jack frowned as he saw that the notebook had his name on it and opened it. He skimmed through it, taking in Ben’s scribbles on The Void, on someone named Debbie, on titles like “The One”. His frown deepened as he read the last two pages. One was a transcript of a conversation Jack had apparently had while in The Void. It bothered Jack that he couldn’t remember it. He turned to the last page. It was about how he’d reappeared, the tests, his lacking memory, and Sammy and Lily’s reactions, all in tight, cramped handwriting.

Jack read those two pages again and again, wondering why it felt like him being back didn’t make sense. It didn’t help that he genuinely couldn’t remember how he’d managed to escape The Void. Jack shook his head and put it away. He shouldn’t have read it anyway. It was clearly something Ben didn’t want others seeing and yet he’d done so anyway. Jack put the ceramic figurine back in it’s spot and closed the cabinet.

Yeah, that was enough snooping for the day.

***

Day two of living in the apartment had passed without any incidents and as great as Netflix might be, it felt simultaneously as though he was doing too much and nothing at all. So, as Lily got ready on day three, Jack made a decision. 

"I know you're gonna ask me to join you, but I was thinking that maybe I could explore?" Jack suggested.

Lily hesitated, "I… hm. I would prefer if you were somewhere one of us could keep an eye on you, to be honest."

"Wait." He blinked, "Did Miss Lily Wright just communicate her feelings clearly without a mask of sarcasm and mean jokes?"

"What if I did?" She scowled. 

"I would tell you that I'm proud of you and will eat breakfast and go just to the library." Jack chuckled.

"Y'know what? That's actually a good idea. Lemme text Emily to give her a heads up." Lily said and did so. Her phone dinged and she nodded, "Emily said that's fine and she'll be happy to see you."

"Okay, good to know." He said. 

"Alright, I'm off." Lily threw him a peace sign and headed out.

Jack locked the door behind her and stretched. Time for breakfast.


	3. Library time! Library time!

Jack made his way down the block to the library easily enough. No one gave him questioning looks or even seemed to take notice of him outside of a few friendly waves. It was quiet… and surprisingly nice.

Jack checked the times posted on the door before taking a breath and entering the library. The atmosphere changed immediately. The scent of ink and paper hit him first, followed by how utterly quiet it was. It filled Jack with a sense of belonging, of home.

He took a moment to just absorb it, centering himself. He might be out of place with Lily, with Sammy, with time itself, but a library was a library, no matter how haunted.

When Jack opened his eyes again, he found Emily headed towards him with a bright smile. He offered her a nervous one, "Hi, you're Emily, right?"

"I am, it's nice to officially meet you, Jack." Emily offered her hand to shake. 

"It's nice to meet you too." He shook her hand.

"So, Lily told me you're gonna hang out here today?" Emily asked. 

"If that's alright?" Jack bit his lip.

"Of course, Jack!" Emily squeezed his shoulder then her face lit up, "So, what do you like to read?"

"Oh, uh, I'm actually a pretty big fan of… horror." Jack laughed.

"Oh? Any specific subgenres?" Emily asked, gently leading him through the bookshelves. 

"Ironically, paranormal?" Jack grimaced.

"Hmm." Emily stopped at the section of horror, eyes scanning the shelves, "Like werewolves and vampires or aliens?"

"Both?" Jack shrugged.

"Have you read any Neil Gaiman?" She asked.

"No, but I have seen Coraline and I remember loving it." Jack chuckled self-consciously.

"Okay, how about this?" Emily took a small paperback off the shelf and offered it to him, "Let's start with Coraline the book and expand from there."

"Well, I will be here awhile, so why not." Jack shrugged and took the book.

"There are seats scattered around the place and a couple near my station in case you feel like keeping close." Emily smiled.

"Thank you." Jack said.

"Of course, Jack."

***

Jack looked at the small but beautifully written children's novel in his hands. Just… wow. That had been a fantastic read. He looked over to Emily to see her finishing up with a patron.

Leisurely, he scooted over to her desk. She smiled at him, "Finish?"

"I did. It was… fantastic." Jack laughed.

"I'm glad to hear it!" Emily beamed, "So, I picked out a few options for when you finished. I have another Gaiman, a Pratchett and a Stein."

"The Gaiman please." Jack bounced excitedly. 

"Alright." Emily offered the book and her free hand.

Jack happily exchanged the novels and scurried back to his bench with his treasure. The Graveyard Book.

***

Jack jumped when something tapped his shoulder. He looked up to see Emily with an apologetic smile. He searched his person for a bookmark only to find Emily offering one.

"Sorry for startling you." Emily smiled.

"It's okay." Jack breathed, looking around, "It's not closing time yet, is it?"

"No," Emily laughed, "but it  _ is _ lunchtime. And I figured I'd let you pick. Eating here or at a restaurant?"

"You really would let me?" Jack felt small for having to ask. 

"Well, I tend not to argue when something has been proven almost indisputably true. And don't get me wrong, I understand Sammy's reluctance,  _ but _ ," Emily emphasized it by pushing her glasses up her nose, "I never knew pre-Void Jack and you never met pre-Rainbow Lights Emily, so I think it's only fair to try to get to know this you."

"Thank you." Jack said, hugging the book to his chest.

"Of course." Emily nodded, the empathy clear in her eyes, "So, in or out?"

"Out, please. I want to get to know this place that's become Lily and Sammy's home. Even if it's just a little bit at a time." Jack said.

"Awesome. Let's put the book on the desk and, hmmm, I think Rose's would be a good place to start." Emily offered.

Hesitantly Jack handed her the book before following her.

***

Jack took a moment after they sat and ordered to gather his nerves. He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to ask what he wanted to when Emily had been so generous and kind but his curiosity and confusion was eating him up inside. Jack let out a deep breath, "So, um, Emily? Er, what's your take on the whole Sammy and Ben dynamic?"

"That depends on how you mean." Emily took a sip of her recently delivered drink.

"I mean, like," Jack sighed, sagging into the booth, "am I perceiving things right? Or am I just… I dunno, losing my mind?"

Emily took a breath, squaring her shoulders to answer, "Sammy and Ben's relationship is… complex and complicated. They love each other deeply and dearly and outside of a fight or two, they have been attached to each other's hips almost from day one. And, I'll be honest, Jack, sometimes I wonder where they'd be if I hadn't met Ben when I had?"

"H-how do you mean?" Jack frowned.

"I mean… if Ben came to me tomorrow and told me that he was in love with Sammy, I wouldn't be surprised." Emily replied quietly.

"Oh." Jack murmured. He swallowed, "And would you be okay with that?"

"Mostly yes. I mean, if Ben decided him loving Sammy would mean we'd have to break up, I think I would argue on that front. I'm pretty damn sure Ben loves me as much as I love him." Emily said.

"I think he really does love you." Jack agreed.

"Yeah," Emily smiled and shrugged, "I could probably get Ben to realize that polyamory is a thing if he ever becomes aware of any romantic feelings for Sammy."

"You think that would work? I know how stubborn Sammy is." Jack frowned.

"Ah, but Jack," Emily's smile turned mischievous as she rested her chin on her hands, "you haven't seen just how hard a time he has refusing Ben and I."

Jack had to suppress a shudder, "I see you're a Slytherin."

"Only when I need to be." She giggled. 

"Well, I'm glad I'm not just imagining what I've noticed between them." Jack sighed.

"Yeah, no, and I say this with love, those two are a whole  _ thing _ ." Emily agreed, "And half the town ships them. Which is gross in the whole 'they're real people' way."

"Wow." He breathed, "That's a lot."

"It is and I'm sorry." Emily placed a comforting hand on his arm, "But the people who matter and are close to them are rooting for you and Sammy. Even if they don't know you're back yet."

"So… Sammy is refusing to talk about me, huh?" He asked.

"At least on the show. I've checked with Ben about it and all." She replied. 

"Figures." Jack grumbled around a fry, "Stubborn man."

"Yeah, but you love him." Emily smiled. 

"I really do. I just want him to be happy." Jack smiled back.

He felt an understanding pass between them. They'd both do what they could for the men they loved.

***

The rest of the day, Jack bonded with Emily over books and she proved to have an impeccable ability to find him ones that he quickly fell in love with. Eventually the library was shut down and empty except for the two of them. Emily was checking out a few books she was sure Jack would like when her phone rang.

"Hey Lily," Emily greeted, handing the books to Jack, "yeah, today went smoothly."

Jack watched her as he clutched the books to himself.

Emily rapped her fingers on her desk, "Well, we had lunch at Rose's. Besides, I think it'd be better if we made sure Benny ate like, real food before work?"

She laughed, "Lily, why don't you go to dinner with Katie then? Jack, Ben and I will eat at the apartment."

"Oh, third-wheeling, I  _ love _ doing that." Jack muttered sarcastically. 

Emily shook her head at him with a soft chuckle. He shrugged in response.

"Okay, then I'll see you later, Lily." Emily said before hanging up. She turned to Jack, "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. So, what're we going to make?" Jack asked.

"That's a good question. Maybe we should stop by the grocery store first?" Emily suggested.

"Sounds fun." Jack shrugged.

"To the store!" Emily declared and headed towards the door, Jack following her with a laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually wrote this chapter up in its entirety in minecraft books for my friends Oceans and Kate, it took like a whole hour lol


	4. Movies and Roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some down time to get to know your new roommate and watch some new (to you) movies!

Together, Emily and Jack decided on a chicken and broccoli casserole. Ingredient gathering had been quick and painless. Soon enough they'd made it back to Ben's apartment and set to work.

It shocked Jack when they'd fallen into a comfortable rhythm with one another. They moved about the tiny kitchen with ease and swiftly got the dish in the oven once it preheated.

"Good job!" Emily high-fived him then whirled back around to get tupperware ready.

"Thanks, you too!" Jack laughed. 

"Alright, you should go pick a movie for us to watch." Emily grinned, "Maybe not a horror though. Benny's not big on them."

"Fair enough." Jack nodded, "Something Ben-safe it is."

***

Jack picked Venom, mostly out of curiosity, and quickly found himself enjoying it to bits. It's unimaginably chaotic energy was something he'd never experienced and the  _ subtext _ was beautiful. 

About halfway through, Ben emerged from his room, grabbed a serving of food and settled in next to Emily. He added quiet commentary to Jack's own and it was kinda… nice.

Soon enough, the movie ended. Jack stood, stretching and picked up his dish, "Here, let me clean the dishes."

"Thanks, Jack." Emily smiled gratefully.

"Thank you." Ben offered his plate.

"No problem." Jack shrugged. He went off to wash the dishes. He could just hear over the water.

"So today went okay?" Ben asked.

"Today went wonderfully." Emily replied, "I think he had a good time with me at the library."

"And you… weren't uncomfortable at all?" Ben worried.

"No, we got along really well, Benny." Emily said. 

"Good. That's… that's good." Ben nodded.

Jack shut off the water, dishes cleaned and in the drying rack. He could hear Ben quiet and decided to ask something, "So how's Sammy, Ben?"

"Oh, um, he's doing okay. Or he was last night? I mean, aside from the whole ignoring this situation thing." Ben said.

"Can't say I'm surprised." Jack sighed.

"Yeah…" Ben worried his lip.

"Lily keeps asking me to join her at the station, but I don't think it'd be appreciated if I announced my whole being outside the Void thing on the morning radio." Jack shrugged, sitting back on the couch.

"Yeah, that's probably not a great idea. But, I mean, at the same time, it's not like Sammy controls you or anything. You are your own person, y'know?" Ben managed.

"You have a point..." Jack rubbed the back of his neck.

"Anyway, yeah, do what you think is best?" Ben shrugged.

"Thanks, I guess?" Jack frowned. 

An awkward silence spread between them. It expanded as though it was going to consume the whole apartment. Jack could see that Ben wanted to break it as much as he did but neither of them knew how.

"Alright, how about this?" Emily began, "Benny, why don't you share a movie with Jack that you think he'll like but hasn't seen?"

"Oh! That's a great idea!" Ben jumped up from the couch and dashed to his movie collection, "Jack, what's your opinion on Disney?"

"Like as a company or as the brand that is responsible for much of my childhood?" Jack asked. 

"The latter. And Pixar." Ben grinned.

"As long as it's not a sequel, I'm down." Jack shrugged. 

"Awesome!" Ben grabbed a dvd, putting it in the player, "Be ready for feelings!"

"Oh boy." Jack chuckled nervously.

***

Ben had been right, the movie he picked had Jack crying by the end. It was really good and the depiction of depression had been really well done. But between the movie and his full day of reading, Jack felt emotionally wiped.

"Alright, as much as I'd love to stay and hang out, I should probably take some food back for Sammy." Emily said, though she didn't move from Ben's arms.

"Probably." Ben said into her hair.

There was another quiet moment before Emily began to move, "Alright, I'm getting up now."

"Okay." Ben pouted but let her up easily enough.

"I'm going to leave another portion for Sammy in the fridge for you to take to work, okay?" Emily asked, taking Ben's hands.

"Okay, I'll make sure to grab that when I head to the station." Ben agreed, smiling softly up at her.

"I love you." Emily grinned.

"I love you too." Ben said, the fondness in his voice almost unbearably sweet.

Emily pressed a quick kiss to Ben's forehead and headed to the kitchen. She grabbed a few things and moved to leave. She paused to send Jack a smile, "It was really nice hanging out with you today, Jack. Feel free to stop by the library any time, okay?"

"Will do, Emily." Jack agreed.

"Night guys." She waved.

"Night." They chorused.

There was a pause as Emily left and a heavy silence fell in her place. It lasted a good minute as they both racked their brains for something to say to the other.

"Okay, this is ridiculous. Why are we so uncomfortable around one another?" Ben asked, arms moving in tandem with his words.

"Well, we  _ are _ strangers. And I have no idea what Sammy told you about me?" Jack shrugged.

"Um, basically nothing?" Ben frowned, "He's been pretty private since the day I met him, to be honest. And Lily hasn't really said anything either outside of wanting you back, y'know?"

"So most definitely strangers." Jack sighed.

"Who now live together… yeah." Ben chuckled nervously. 

"I mean, that's basically just having a dorm-mate." Jack shrugged. 

"True." Ben nodded.

"Um, I should probably apologize for my assumptions about your relationship with Sammy." Jack said.

"N-no, it's okay. You're certainly not the first person to make that particular assumption." Ben's leg bounced and he looked away, "And it's not like we aren't close. Just not in  _ that _ way."

Jack knew he shouldn't push it. He could see the line he shouldn't cross in bright neon orange. But part of him was desperate to know. The same part that always got him in trouble. The same part that led him to King Falls, causing a path of destruction behind him.

Jack didn't get the chance though, because suddenly Ben was speaking again.

"It's dumb but can I ask why you assumed what you did?" Ben asked.

"Oh, um," Jack took a breath, turning his gaze to the coffee table, "it was because I heard you two talking to one another on the radio and it… the fondness in your voices was  _ tangible _ . And because of that, I jumped to conclusions."

"Oh… okay." Ben said. He sighed, "I know thinking that had to suck."

Jack glanced Ben's way to see a tired smile on his face. Jack frowned, "Do… do you wanna talk about it?"

"I… It's just… After we got Emily back from the Rainbow Lights, she had no memory of me or Sammy or really anything. And she ended up dating this  _ bastard _ who kept gaslighting her and it was… it was hell, man." Ben clenched his fist then let out a long breath, "So, yeah, I kinda get it."

"I mean, on the brightside, I at least thought he was dating a decent guy." Jack offered Ben a smile.

Ben snorted and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, flattery will get you nowhere."

"I mean, flattery and, admittedly, a lot of sass got me a fiancé, so I think I gotta disagree with you there." Jack chuckled.

"Yeah, somehow that doesn't surprise me." Ben shook his head, clearly fighting a grin.

They shared a look and grins broke out. Sammy had good taste.

***

"It's been a week, Ben." Sammy glared. 

"Yeah, and he hasn't Flickered once, Sammy!" Ben argued. 

"It took us over a  _ year  _ to find out that Timbot was a bot. The SI has proven that they can play a waiting game." Sammy snapped, " _ And _ they were able to make a better bot without the flickering pretty quickly. We can't trust that this isn't just a long game by the SI."

"Given how many times they've literally attempted to  _ blow us up _ , forgive me for not thinking the SI has tact and subtly and for trusting my heart stats." Ben crossed his arms firmly, "And I'm not just going to make someone homeless over a hypothetical."

"You're being ridiculous." Sammy scowled.

" _ I'm  _ being ridiculous?! You're being unreasonable!" Ben threw his arms up, "I'm starting to doubt this is about him possibly being a bot and more you running from whatever regrets you've got in relation to Jack."

"Alright. That's enough. Out of both of you." Jack stepped in, "You both need to simmer down before you say something you regret."

Sammy sent him a death glare and stormed to his room, slamming the door. Ben sighed, rubbing his hands down his face.

"You two are too close to each other for that to be a clean argument." Jack shook his head.

"You're not wrong." Ben grumpled.

Sammy's door opened again and he stomped past them, a bag in one hand.

"Sammy," Ben started, voice apologetic.

"No. Save it." Sammy snarled and exited the apartment. 

Ben groaned, faceplanting on the counter.


	5. Checking Out and Checking Out ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 1 Year Anniversary of the last released episode of KFAM! I hope everyone has an awesome day!
> 
> Once again thanks to my beta, FallingOceans! You're awesome!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! ~Nobu

Jack wanted to run away. Which was weird, cuz that wasn't really his MO. But something in his brain kept bringing it up. Every daydream he had, had him running away at some point or another.

Maybe it was his weird way of coping with his restlessness. He wasn't exactly allowed out of the apartment by himself. Okay, that wasn't entirely true. He could technically do whatever he wanted but when he brought up exploring on his own, Lily would get fidgety and Ben would press his lips together in an attempt of staying neutral. And he  _ knew _ Sammy wanted him locked up somewhere far away from anyone and everyone. 

Jack flopped onto the couch with a groan of frustration. He'd stay put for the sake of those around him but it was definitely driving him up a wall. He placed a book on his face in boredom.

The lock clicked open and Jack peeked at the door curiously. It opened to reveal Sammy. They stared at one another for a long moment.

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" Jack frowned. 

Sammy didn't reply, shutting the door and moving to his room. There was the noise of things being moved around for a few minutes. Sammy exited his room, clutching a book. As Sammy moved past Jack, Jack felt a gut-deep dread that he couldn't explain or even place.

It faded some after Sammy locked the door behind himself, but Jack couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine. He didn't know what Sammy was up to but his gut was telling him it was nothing good.  _ Shit. _

***

Jack drummed his fingers on his armrest as he quietly watched Lily and Ben playing on their individual phones. It definitely made him jealous. He missed being able to text. He missed being able to research anything he wanted.

"Hey guys?" Jack asked. 

"Hm? What's up, Jack?" Ben tore his eyes from his device. 

"Could we get me a phone?" Jack muttered.

"Oh shit, I can't believe I forgot. Hell yeah we can get you a phone!" Lily jumped up with an excited grin.

"I guess that answers that." Ben chuckled.

"Really?" Jack blinked.

"Yeah, besides, if you start working, you're gonna need one, y'know?" Lily shrugged.

"To the BestBuy?" Ben asked. 

"To the BestBuy!" Lily declared.

***

"Does that say it has a  _ terabyte  _ of memory?" Jack gasped at the sign.

"Yeah, and it's a thousand bucks. We're not getting it." Lily said.

"But think of how many tabs I could have open! Of how much research I could do! Lily! Please!" Jack turned his full powered puppy dog eyes on her.

"Hey, don't you pull that. Being my baby brother isn't gonna get you what you want." Lily crossed her arms and glared.

"But Lily! My favorite sister! Wisest and oldest of us! I'll pay you back?" Jack pleaded. He could see Ben chuckling behind her but doubled down.

"Absolutely not." Lily huffed.

Jack pouted and stared longingly at the phone, dejection in his voice, "Okay…"

"Come over to the more reasonably priced phones, dude." Ben waved him over.

Jack slowly slid his way over. Lily rolled her eyes and dragged him quicker. He made a face at her, which she returned. 

With Ben's help and Lily's snark, Jack was able to come to a decision on a phone. From there, they just had to pay for and activate it.

"And there you go." The BestBuy employee, Leonard, smiled and handed the phone over to Jack, "Feel free to come back if you ever have any problems with it and we'll get it handled for you."

"Thank you so much." Jack smiled.

"It was no problem at all." Leonard assured, and maybe it was Jack's imagination, but it sounded like his tone had turned flirtatious.

Jack felt his face warm and cleared his throat, getting up, "Thank you again."

***

"Dang, Jack, turning heads on your first outing!" Lily laughed.

"He was just doing his job, Lil." Jack said, rolling his eyes.

"His job is to check you out?" Lily raised her brows.

"Lily, stop." Jack crossed his arms.

"There's nothing wrong with keeping your eyes and options open, Jackidy." She huffed.

He sighed, "I get that, but, y'know, it's only been two weeks for me, Lilzard."

"I know, I know." She wrapped an arm around him.

"Yeahhhh." Jack leaned into her.

"Wait, that guy was flirting with Jack?" Ben asked.

"Ben, how are you  _ so _ oblivious?" Lily groaned, using Jack's shoulder to facepalm.

"I-I am not!" Ben argued.

"You are a bit, Ben, no offense." Jack chuckled. Ben pouted and Jack patted his shoulder, "Don't worry too much about it."

"Yeah, yeah." Ben groused.

***

Jack blinked blearily awake. His neck definitely had a crick in it and his back was aching due to the angle he'd been at. He pushed past those, gathering his surroundings. 

He was in Ben and Sammy's living room, sitting mostly upright on the couch, with his feet up on the coffee table. Warmth beside him drew his gaze to Lily's sleep slack figure pressed against him. Both of them were covered in a blanket he didn't recall having when he'd drifted off.

He smiled as Lily snored. They hadn't passed out on a couch like this since they were kids, really. Not since the day he'd come out to her, afraid and trembling but angry to his bones. She'd simply said "me too" and pulled him into a hug when tears had started to spill from his eyes. They'd watched movies together til they couldn't keep their eyes open anymore. It had been a good night.

The door creaked slowly open and Ben snuck in. Jack shot him a curious look. Ben froze, mouthed "Emily" and closed the door equally quietly. 

"Date?" Jack asked silently. 

Ben nodded with a lovesick smile. He moved to the nearby armchair. His voice was barely audible when he spoke, "We just ate dinner and talked but it was wonderful."

"You two really do love each other, huh?" Jack whispered.

"Yeah, yeah we do." Ben beamed. He swallowed and shifted nervously, "So, um, you still don't have any memories about proposing to Sammy, do you?"

"I don't, but I didn't realize I'd slept through you and Sammy starting to date and doing so long enough to propose to him." Jack teased.

"You are so lucky I don't want to wake Lily." Ben hissed.

Jack snickered, "Sorry, had to."

"Mmhmm." Ben scowled, arms crossed.

"Have you and Emily talked about getting married?" Jack asked.

"A little bit. We both agree that we want to at some point…" Ben's leg shook.

"But?" Jack canted his head.

"I don't know. When we were talking about it, Emily had this  _ look _ of like guilt maybe? There was excitement too but also something else just below it." Ben sighed, "And I don't know what it is or why."

"You  _ could _ ask her, you know." Jack suggested. 

"I know, but a really selfish part of me doesn't want to know." Ben admitted. 

"I should not get involved but I can talk to her about it if you want." Jack almost shrugged before he remembered his sister.

"You don't have to. You're right, after all. I need to ask her on my own." Ben decided.

"Can't argue with that." Jack agreed.


	6. Brunch at Begley's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only been a day but I really wanted to share! Sorry it's so short! I hope you all enjoy! ~Nobu

"Lily, can I ask why you're getting ready at ten in the morning on a  _ Sunday _ ?" Jack groused from his mattress, "I highly doubt you're going to church."

"I'm not, I'm going to brunch with Papa Bear Begley." Lily grinned.

"I- What?" Jack blinked.

"There's this bear I know that I have brunch with on the regular and we just sit around, drink and gossip ruthlessly." Lily explained, "Wanna join?"

Jack paused to think on it for a moment. Sammy would certainly be unhappy if he found out about it. On the other hand, Jack never really got to hang out with other queer people before he'd been abducted by The Void. Lily probably was really excited to share whatever small community she had with him too. Plus, if nothing else, it'd be nice make friends with another person of the queer community who was out.

"Y'know what? Yeah, I think I do. Do I need to dress nice or?" Jack asked.

"Jeans and a comfy shirt will do well. I'd suggest a flannel cuz Ron's by the lake." Lily grinned.

"I can do jeans and a flannel." Jack chuckled.

***

"Lily!" A man boomed as they approached. 

Jack was taken aback a bit at his appearance. Lily had said he was a bear, and she was right, but she'd failed to mention how almost magnificently he fit the stereotype. 

"Ron! How's my favorite old man!" Lily greeted.

"That's a bit mean to Herschel, but I'm doing damn fine. How's my favorite podcaster?" Ron laughed. 

"I'm doing phenomenally." Lily beamed then took Jack's arm. Ron's gaze followed the movement, eyeing Jack with cautious curiosity. Lily's expression took on a conspiratorial look, "Because this is my brother, Jack."

A range of emotions flickered across Ron's features in a millisecond before settling into wariness, "The same as Sammy's Jack?"

"The very same." Lily nodded.

"Does Sammy know?" Ron crossed his burly arms across his chest.

"Oh, Sammy knows." Bitterness dripped from her words.

Ron took a moment to consider that before shifting into a more intimidating stance, "You sure he ain't a double?"

"Tim, er,  _ our _ Tim ran tests. Extensive ones. This is  _ my _ Jack." Lily replied.

Ron didn't look completely sold but offered his hand, "Then it's nice to finally meet you, Jack. I'm Ron Begley."

"Um, nice to meet you too, Mr. Begley." Jack shook hands.

"Alright, let's get gossiping." Lily declared with a grin.

***

Lily and Ron gossiped like high schoolers and Jack had to admit it was kind of funny. He didn't know who most of the names they threw around were, but it was entertaining nonetheless. And the food was delicious as well.

Ron still seemed suspicious of him, which Jack figured was fair. But it was nice to be around someone new. Someone queer who knew he was part of the community too. To be allowed to be himself.

There was a lull in conversation and Jack figured he'd ask, "Are there any other queer folk in King Falls?"

"I mean, yeah, we got a couple." Ron shrugged. 

"Cool." Jack smiled, "That's cool."

"Trying to find a new partner?" Lily teased.

Jack smacked her shoulder lightly, "You know I'm not."

"Oh, right, I just thought since you were trying to play matchmaker." Lily wagged her brows.

"I made an assumption, an incorrect one, let me be." Jack crossed his arms with a pout.

"Mmhmm, thought your fiancé had moved on." Lily shrugged. 

"I'm still confused by how many people he's out to." Jack frowned.

Ron gave Lily a surprised look. She grimaced and shook her head. He sighed.

"Sorry, bro, that one's not ours to tell." Lily patted his shoulder gently.

Jack frowned, worry blossoming in his chest, "Okay?"

"Any chance we can see Kingsie?" Lily asked.

Ron shook his head, "She's been quite unsociable recently."

"Aw, damn." Lily pouted, "Okay then."

"You'll meet her one day, Lily." Ron chuckled.

"Mmhmm, I'll believe it when I see it." Lily huffed.

"I'd expect nothing less." Ron smiled. 


	7. Road Trips and Podcasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily needs a break and Jack is along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry this took so long to be uploaded but I'm working on a few other projects in tandem. Thanks for your patience! I hope you enjoy! ~Nobu

The apartment door slammed open, startling both Jack and Ben to look up. Emily stormed in, dragging Sammy by his arm.

Ben stood to approach his girlfriend, "Em, what's-?"

"Just spend some time with your best fucking friend or so help me, I'll wring  _ both _ your necks!" Emily snapped and pushed Sammy at Ben. Ben caught him as she turned to Jack, "Jack, wanna go on a road trip?"

"Uh," Jack glanced between her and the other men. He nodded, swinging to his feet, "sure."

"Cool, let's go." Emily said, storming back out the apartment. 

Jack grabbed his phone and jogged after her.

***

Once they'd been driving for twenty minutes, Jack dared to break the silence, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Emily said sharply.

"Okay." Jack nodded, turning to look out the window.

The quiet stretched on, thick with tension. Jack knew he could press, but he also knew it wasn't actually any of his business. Besides, Emily clearly didn't want to dwell on it right now and that was fine.

They continued forward, miles passing.

"I'm sorry for snapping." Emily murmured.

"No, it's fine. I shouldn't be putting my nose in where it doesn't go." Jack shrugged, "Besides, if anyone knows how frustrating Sammy can be, it's me."

"Yeah." She breathed. There was a pause, "Would it be okay if I put on a podcast?"

"Oh yeah, go for it." He sent her an encouraging smile.

"Thank you." Emily pressed a few buttons on her console, eyes never straying from the road. She stuttered and stopped before pressing play, "It's, uh, it's a horror tragedy podcast. I haven't listened to it yet, so…"

"Oh, that sounds interesting." Jack gasped.

"Let's see?" Emily laughed and hit play.

Jack heard the first notes of the intro and was hooked.

***

Jack's phone vibrated during the credits of the third episode. He frowned at it, the notification telling him of a message from Ben. He read it.

"Uh, Ben is wondering where we are?" Jack glanced over at her.

Emily paused the show, eyes flickering to him and then back at the road. She slid the car smoothly into a truck stop, "You can tell him we're at a gas station."

"Vague, I love it." Jack joked, quickly typing.

"Yeah, well, I'm not particularly in the mood to talk to him right now." Emily huffed.

"That's completely fair, but when we're back…" He said.

She sighed, lines of exhaustion becoming visible as she leaned into her chair. There was a moment before she muttered, "I know. I just. Can't right now."

"Hey," Jack pressed a hand on her shoulder, "it's okay. You're allowed to deal with stuff in your own time, Emily."

"Thank you." Emily smiled tiredly.

"Of course." He smiled back.

***

The truck stop had a restaurant attached to it and after a decent enough meal, they decided to head back towards home. 

Emily was definitely in a better mood and it showed in how much more she reacted to the podcast. She even began theorizing. 

"I just don't trust him. What if he's part of the supernatural stuff that's happening?" Emily asked.

"Look, Jon is clearly an unreliable narrator and very possibly a tsundere. I think you're giving his outward reactions too much credence." Jack argued.

"You're only saying that cuz you adopted a character without even meeting them." She scoffed.

"Better than assuming he's the big bad evil guy just because the main character dislikes him for no discernible reason." Jack rolled his eyes.

"What if he's right to? What if his intuition is right?" Emily asked. 

"His intuition seems to think that his assistant is lazy. Lazy doesn't equal evil. I think maybe he's projecting and pulling a 'bully the person I have a crush on', personally." He said. 

"Kinda doubt that." She laughed.

"He's kinda giving me queer vibes though." Jack chuckled. 

"I mean, maybe." Emily shrugged.

"Y'know, he almost reminds me of Sammy in a way I can't quite pin down." He frowned.

"Hmm." Emily canted her head thoughtfully, "I can kinda see your point. Huh."

"Yeah." Jack furrowed his brows.

The next episode started and they turned their attention to it.

***

"Hey Jack?" Emily idled in front of the apartment door.

"Yeah?" Jack asked.

"Thank you for today." She said. 

"Of course, Emily. Everyone's got stuff to deal with and their own ways to handle it." He smiled, "Though if you continue the podcast without me, I  _ will _ cry."

Emily laughed, "I wouldn't dare."

"Better not." Jack chuckled. 

Emily nodded, squared her shoulders and unlocked the door. They entered to find Ben and Sammy eating take out on the couch, a movie playing. 

Sammy noticed them first, face pinching with guilt as he stood, "Emily, I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay, Sammy. I know it was an accident. I'm sorry for reacting the way I did." Emily said.

"You had every reason to, it's okay." Sammy said. 

They stood there for a moment before Emily opened her arms for a hug and Sammy stepped into it. 

Jack looked away only to catch Ben smiling at the others with a soft, content smile. There was so much love in Ben's gaze that Jack nearly walked out of the apartment. He really didn't belong here and his chest echoed that sentiment in its emptiness.

"Now that that's sorted, you guys wanna join us for a movie?" Ben asked.

"Absolutely." Emily grinned, taking her rightful spot by the right arm.

Ben scooted over to the middle to snuggle her and Sammy took up the left side. Jack sighed and sat in the arm chair. Close enough to the others that he  _ might _ be part of the unit, but far enough away to know he didn't really fit in either. Like so much of his life.

Ben started the movie and Jack focused on it for his own sake.


	8. A Broken Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out why Sammy is so suspicious of Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, y'all, fair warning, this chapter is rough from start to finish. Please take care of yourselves and enjoy. ~Nobu

"Hey Ben, I know that we've all got mixed feelings about Sammy and he's being an idiot about Jack right now, but can I put up a photo of them?" Lily asked suddenly. 

Ben looked up from his dinner with surprise but nodded, "As long as Jack's okay with it."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Jack shrugged.

"Thanks!" And with that, Lily dashed off.

***

It was a while later before Jack stumbled on the picture. His heart caught in his throat as he looked at it. He and Sammy had an arm each around the others' waist and were looking at each other with so much love that Jack wasn't sure he was breathing.

"Uh, Jack?" Lily asked softly.

"I-I don't remember this. Could you tell me, Lil?" Jack glanced at his sister worriedly.

"Uh, yeah. So, this was the night you and Sammy told me you were dating." Lily started then laughed, "The both of you had been acting so fucking strange all month and I assumed you'd asked Sammy out and he'd rejected you or something. You were both being so  _ overly _ professional, it was insane.

"But then you took me to dinner and told me and, well, you two were grinning like lovesick idiots at each other all night. And I was…" Lily paused, looking wistful and nostalgic. Her voice cracked with her next words, "I was so  _ happy _ for you."

Jack looked at the photo again. The way he was looking at Sammy like he'd hung the stars. How Sammy was looking at him like he'd hung the moon. Like they were the love of their lives.

Tears fell freely from his eyes and the hole in his heart gaped ever larger.

***

Jack had started listening to  _ The Sammy and Ben Show  _ at some point. So maybe he missed his (ex)fiancé's voice, sue him.

"Lucky line seven, you're on," Sammy greeted.

"Hi Ben, Sammy." Mary Jensen answered.

"Mary! It's so good to hear from you!" Ben said warmly.

"How can we help you tonight, Mary?" Sammy asked. 

"I've actually got a bit of a bone to pick with you, Sammy." She began.

"Oh, well, it's pretty late, maybe we should discuss this in the morning." Sammy tried.

"Look, Sammy," Mary sighed, "you  _ know _ I get your reluctance, but I think if you don't have a logic-backed reason, you need to start working on mending that particular bridge."

"I have a reason, Mary, but it's not something I can say on the air." Sammy argued.

"Then I guess you'll just have to bring your manbun butt down for lunch this Sunday." Mary all but commanded, "I better see  _ all _ of you down here on Sunday, you hear me, Sammy? Ben?"

"That shouldn't be a problem for everyone else." Ben agreed easily then his tone turned pointed, "But I can't make Sammy do anything."

"Sammy." Mary warned.

"Alright, alright,  _ fine _ , I'll come to lunch." Sammy grumbled. 

"Good, now I'm going to get some sleep. I'll see you and yours this weekend." Mary said.

"Night Mary." They chorused.

"Good night, boys." Mary hung up.

"Dammit." Sammy muttered.

"So, you wanna go on break and tell me your reason?" Ben asked.

"Ben, please. It'll be better if I tell everyone together." Sammy sighed.

Ben made an annoyed noise, "Fine. I'll pick the next caller then, Mr. Secrets Stevens."

***

Sunday came and they collectively met up at the Jensen's. Hugs and handshakes and hellos were exchanged. They were shortly settled at the dining table, each with a plate full of delicious looking food. Small talk made its rounds as they dug in.

"So, where are the kids?" Ben asked kindly.

"They're at their grandparents' so we could talk like adults." Tim answered easily.

"Speaking of kids, you two making any progress on that front?" Mary pried.

Ben choked on his drink and Emily rescued him with solid pats on the back.

"All due respect, I don't really think that bit of our life is your business, Mary." Emily's shoulders squared and she continued with calm and calculated words, "Besides, I don't think it would be responsible to bring a child into the world when my household is out of whack. Which it is, due to Sammy living with me since Jack is at his and Ben's."

"I'm sorry, Sammy's  _ what _ ?" Mary's gaze cut across to Sammy.

"I-I think I made myself clear the day  _ it _ showed up claiming to be Jack." Sammy said, not meeting anyone's eyes.

Jack sighed, slumping slightly in his chair. He wasn't surprised but that didn't mean it hurt any less. The dread in his gut made itself known again.

"Sammy, we did every test we could. He passed all of them." Tim frowned, "What's this really about?"

"It's about Sammy's damn love of denial." Lily scoffed, "He'd rather be miserable and in mourning than accept the happiness right in front of him."

"That's not it, Lily!" Sammy snapped.

"Yeah? Cuz I known you a  _ long _ time, Sammy, and I have seen you happy  _ once _ in that entire time." Lily glowered.

"I'm more than capable of being happy! This isn't about that! It's about everyone just accepting that  _ thing _ is Jack!" Sammy growled.

"We haven't heard from anyone in The Void since we got Jack. I don't understand why that's so hard to accept." Ben frowned. His expression grew fearful, "You haven't been called by Debbie again, have you?"

"No... But  _ the book _ told me Jack's still in The Void." Sammy admitted. 

"I'm fucking sorry!" Emily stood with an anxious laugh, "Are you telling me you have a copy of  _ Death by Damnation _ !?"

"I… Yes." Sammy let out a breath and pulled the book from his jacket. 

"Are you kidding me!?" Emily shouted, "You've been keeping it  _ on you _ !?! That's been  _ in my home _ !?!"

"Yes, but-" Sammy started.

"Sammy, are you  _ fucking serious _ ." Ben breathed numbly.

"I took you in and you had it-!" Emily cut herself off to stare at Sammy in horror, "How long have you had that?"

"Since just after  _ it _ showed up. The book just… appeared." Sammy answered, "It confirmed that Jack's still in The Void and-"

"You kept all that to yourself?" Lily asked.

"You didn't  _ trust _ us?" Emily laughed, voice near hysterical. 

"I do, but-" Sammy tried. 

"No. Clearly, you don't. And you've made it crystal clear that  _ you _ can't be trusted to take anyone else's life into consideration either." Ben was downright shaking with anger, tears spilling from his furious, sharp gaze, "I don't want you in the apartments or the studio until you get rid of that damn thing."

"Me either." Emily whispered. Lily nodded, jaw set.

"B-Ben, please-" Sammy pleaded.

"No!" Ben shouted, "You'd rather trust that  _ evil  _ fucking book than your _ best fucking friend! _ You made your choice, Sammy, and it wasn't  _ me _ ."

Sammy sat in silent horror, seeming unable to defend himself. Then he did what Sammy always did. He cut and run.


	9. Aliases and References

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like before this chapter starts, I should say that I don't hate Sammy. I genuinely like him as a character and I think that if he was written differently, we'd know a lot more about him. This fic is not salt against Sammy by any means, just an exploration of a what if scenario. 
> 
> With that off my chest, I hope you all enjoy! ~Nobu

Ben's behavior changed  _ immediately  _ after lunch. The second they got home, he went to his cupboard, pulling out an old, worn notebook. He pulled a pen from seemingly thin air and started scribbling in it.

Lily went to  _ her _ cupboard and pulled out a bottle. She uncorked it and took a long swig.

Jack hovered by the entrance to the kitchen, wondering if there was any way he could help them. He swallowed, "Guys-"

"No." Lily snapped, shoving the cork back into the bottle, "I don't want to hear whatever defense you have for that  _ asshole _ ."

"I wasn't going to defend him." Jack said quietly.

"Oh yeah?" Lily scoffed. Ben hadn't looked up from his notebook yet. Lily crossed her arms, " _ Shotgun _ can go live the rest of his cowardly days alone and unloved for all I care!"

Jack flinched at that.

"But that's the thing, isn't it?" Ben laughed bitterly, "We love him so him betraying us hurts."

Lily made an annoyed noise and shoved the bottle back into the cabinet. Jack worried his lip, still hovering. Ben turned a sharp gaze unto him and he took a step back.

"Jack?" Ben asked.

"Uh, yeah?" Jack replied. 

"I…" Ben paused to consider his words, "I don't really enjoy doing the show by myself and I don't want to bother Chet… Would you like to be my co-host for a bit?"

Jack blinked a few times, feeling like he was processing the information at a snail's pace. Him? Co-hosting? With Ben? That felt so far out of left field. But… he kinda wanted to. He missed being part of a show.

"Yeah, actually, I think I would." Jack said.

"Thanks, man." Ben smiled.

***

"Hey guys, gals and nonbinary pals, welcome to the Sammy and Ben show. I'm Ben Arnold," Ben paused to take a breath, "Unfortunately Sammy is under the weather right now, so he won't be joining us. But, I do have a guest co-host! Why don't you introduce yourself, Felix?"

Jack cleared his throat and put on his best British accent, "Hello everyone, I'm Felix Graham. I recently moved here after losing my partner."

"I'm sorry to hear that, man." Ben said, a real grimace twisting his features.

"Thank you. I mean, he- our relationship wasn't the healthiest and him getting sick seemed to amplify that. Honestly, I don't think he really knew who he was outside of his own grief. And I know I'll always miss him but maybe King Falls can be a good fresh start." Jack finished quietly, uncomfortable about how much of that rang true.

Ben squeezed his shoulder, a storm of emotion in his eyes. He let out a wary laugh, "So, King Falls, let's give Felix a warm welcome! Lucky line two, you're on."

"Sorry to hear about your loss, Felix." A grumbly dark-knight imitation said. Jack threw Ben a confused look. The Batman wannabe continued, "I do hear we have a pretty cool LGBT community that I'm sure would be there to lend you a shoulder."

"Oh, uh, that's good to know. Thank you, Mr?" Jack frowned, grappling his fake accent.

"Dark.  _ The _ Dark." The Dark said.

"Oh, well thank you for letting me know, Mr. The Dark." Jack replied.

Ben chuckled, "You don't have to be that formal with Dark here."

"God dammit, Ben, really?! Are you antagonizing me just because Stevens isn't there?" The Dark grumbled.

"Maybe I just wanted to mess with you. Not everything in my life revolves around Sammy." Ben glowered at the phone.

"Uh-huh, sure, Benny." The Dark snorted.

" _ Dwayne. _ " Ben warned, "Don't make me hang up on you."

The Dark sputtered, "I'm  _ The Dark _ , not this  _ Dwayne _ person!"

"Mmhmmm. Night Dark." Ben hung up with a pointed click.

"Damn." Jack murmured. 

Ben gave him a "See what I put up with?" look before sighing, "So, Felix, that was former-vigilante-slash-current deputy The Dark."

"Wait, King Falls had a vigilante and then deputized him?" Jack frowned.

"We had two. Both got deputized. He's the less offensive one." Ben grumpled, annoyance plastered on his features, "The other is The Dirt and he's… worse. By far."

"In what way?" Jack asked. 

"You'll know if you ever talk to him." Ben sighed.

Jack grimaced, "Ominous."

"Yup. Anyway, line seven, you're on." Ben pressed the button.

"Ben Arnold-" An arrogant voice began.

"Homophobic, gaslighting dickwads can go walk into The Void!" Ben cut them off, hanging up the call. He growled, "Fucking Frickard."

"Uhhhh, we gonna talk about that?" Jack wondered.

"Nope." Ben replied and picked another line, "Line four, go."

"Hi Benny." Emily answered.

Ben lit up, "Hey Em! Uh, Felix, this is King Fall's lovely librarian, Emily Potter."

"Nice to meet you, Felix." Emily said warmly.

"Nice to meet you too, Miss Potter." Jack smiled.

"I just wanted to welcome you to our little town. And that you should feel free to visit our library." Emily said, a teasing tinge to her voice.

"Well, I'm sure I'll stop by when I have the chance. Thank you." Jack replied.

"Of course!" Emily said.

"Alright, as much as I love hearing your voice, Em, but you gotta get to bed." Ben teased.

"Oh, if I must." Emily giggled.

Ben laughed, "Love you."

"Love you too." Emily said, "Night boys."

"Night!" They chorused.

"That was adorable." Jack teased.

"Oh, hush you." Ben pushed him softly.

Jack laughed, "Okay, okay, what's next?"

"We'll take a few more calls and then pay them bills." Ben informed. 

"Wow, like actual responsible adults?" Jack gasped.

Ben rolled his eyes, "Exactly like that. So, pick a line, any line."

***

As they closed out the show, Jack had to admit that he'd really missed being on air. It filled him with a warm contentment like it was precisely what he should be doing with his life. Even exhausted, he knew he loved it.

"Jack, you can't sleep in the studio." Ben sighed, amusement tingeing his exasperation. 

"Okay, but Lily's here. Surely it's fine." Jack argued.

"Bud, c'mon, you can sleep on the couch since Lily's at work." Ben argued.

"That's a fair point." Jack hummed thoughtfully. He shrugged, "Okay, okay, you've convinced me."

Ben snorted and led him out of the studio, the two of them waving as they passed Lily. She gave them a salute as she worked.

"I'm grabbing breakfast with Emily at Rose's, by the way." Ben said as they got to the car, "Did you wanna join us?"

"Oh, my favorite! Third wheeling!" Jack declared, sarcasm dripping off of him.

"Shut up." Ben laughed, "Do you want pancake pups or not?"

"It would be easier for everyone if I agreed, huh?" Jack smiled.

"Little bit." Ben replied, ducking into the car.

"Alright, I suppose." Jack sighed and got into the vehicle. 

"You're ridiculous." Ben shook his head.

"No more than you." Jack teased. He got an eyeroll for his efforts.

***

Ben and Emily decidedly didn't talk about Sammy. Which made it more obvious just how big a part of their lives he was.

"Oh, um, I was out driving on Sunday and, well," Emily fidgeted with her silverware, "I saw that there was a house for sale."

"A house?" Ben blinked in surprise.

Emily's cheeks filled with color, "I mean, it could be a good idea to have an extra safe house, especially if the SI attacks and destroys our apartments again. Plus, I kinda doubt you’re going to get the chance to continue your lease there when it ends."

"Robots do keep destroying my apartment." Ben sighed in agreement. 

"And, I mean," Emily peeked up at Ben, "it could be  _ our _ home if we ever decide to do the whole marriage and kids thing."

"I…" Ben hesitated, "I do want to start a family with you, Emily. I  _ do _ …" 

"But?" Emily asked, though a sadness in her eyes seemed to have an idea.

"I-I'm gonna go for a walk." Jack said and swiftly left the table. This wasn't a conversation he should be there for. It was between them as a couple and they deserved the privacy to have it.

He paced the parking lot a bit, trying to look inconspicuous. He froze when he turned again. Was… Was that a glowing, green man?

Jack rubbed his eyes, half hoping the vision would vanish. It didn't. There was definitely a very green, very naked, glowing man just at the edge of the parking lot where it met forest.

Well, this  _ was _ King Falls. There were Rainbow Lights, Void Dimensions and Murder Bots. Why wouldn't there be a green, glowy man?

"H-hi there, um," Jack held his hands out peacefully, "can you understand me?"

"All… yell…" The man said haltingly. 

"I won't yell, I promise." Jack replied gently, "Do you have a name?"

"Empty… Zero…" The man grimaced and shook his head, "Ezio."

"That's a cool name, Ezio. My name is Jack. I'm kinda new around here." Jack chuckled. Ezio watched him carefully. Jack gave a slow shrug, "A bit lost, honestly."

"Lost?" Ezio frowned. He seemed to ponder it for a moment. His eyes went wide with a realization, "No. Not escape. . . Let out."

"Wha-" Jack began but Ezio ran full speed into the forest. Jack blinked after him.

"Uh, Jack?" Ben called, "Did something happen?"

"Huh?" Jack spun to his roommate, "Oh, uh, I just had a really weird encounter with a glowing man?"

"Wait, you got to see Jesus?" Emily gasped, eyes alight with curiosity. 

"Um, he said his name was Ezio?" Jack frowned. 

"Oh wow! He can speak English now?" Ben asked.

"That's super impressive!" Emily exclaimed then tapped her chin, "Though he has been around for a pretty long time now."

"And if he's been hanging on the outskirts of parking lots and stuff, maybe he's picked some stuff up?" Ben theorized to Emily nodding thoughtfully.

"I feel like I'm missing something important." Jack mumbled.

Ben gave his shoulder a pat, "I'll tell you on the way home."

***

"Finally." Jack groaned and flopped on the couch. He went to stretch out, only to find Ben sat where his feet were going to go. Jack frowned, "Ben, what?"

Ben lifted the laptop he'd grabbed, "You can put your feet here, I just need to do some research."

Jack paused for a moment, propriety trying to argue but tiredness won out, "Fine."

"See? Not a big deal." Ben rolled his eyes and rested the laptop on Jack's shins.

"Whatever, just let me sleep." Jack grumbled. He huffed when a blanket was tossed over his face but didn't move it. The weight and darkness was comforting.


	10. A Debate of Morality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short but I hope y'all enjoy! ~Nobu

Jack knew that he shouldn't be doing what he was doing. That it was a breach of privacy. That if he was caught, Ben, at the very least, was going to be incredibly upset.

But, if nothing else, Jack was an investigative journalist and his curiosity had overridden his survival instinct. That's how Jack found himself sneaking into Sammy's room.

The room was a bit smaller than Jack had anticipated. Somehow Sammy had managed to fit a desk in with his bed and a decent little pathway to the closet. The bed was unmade from its last use and a water bottle was nestled against the pillow.

Jack turned his attention to the desk, making note of the semi-organized clutter. There was an old school tape recorder, with a tape inside, sat in front of a framed photo of Sammy, Ben and Emily, arms around one another. Next to it were two other pictures. One was of Lily smirking smugly with her hands on her hips. The other was a crease-worn one of him and Sammy, selfie style, showing off Sammy's engagement ring.

Jack picked up the photo of him and Sammy, gently touching the glass. His heart twisted painfully. It was hard to imagine that at some point they'd been that close. That happy. And now? Well, they were nowhere near it.

With a sigh, he put it down and moved on to the rest of the desk. There were a few other knick knacks. A book, some various coins, an empty mug and a Captain America Funko Pop. And then, there was the tablet.

Jack then did something that was an even  _ bigger _ breach of privacy. He unlocked the tablet. It looked pretty basic, a few games and factory apps splashed across a space background. But his eyes were drawn to the little Google Docs icon and before he knew it, Jack had opened it.

He sucked in a breath when he saw the title of the most recently opened document.  _ Letters To Jack _ .

***

Jack paced the living room. He really shouldn't have looked in Sammy's room. In Sammy's tablet. He  _ definitely _ shouldn't have taken said tablet and hid it in his pillow case. What the hell was he thinking?  _ Was _ he even thinking?

He'd swiped the tablet so he could decide whether or not he should read that document of Sammy's. Well, maybe not  _ should _ but more of a  _ would _ . Because the “should” question was a definite no. The “would” question on the other hand…

Jack groaned into his hands. What was wrong with him? Reading it would be an invasion of Sammy's privacy! He probably made that document to cope with the loss of Jack! It would be wrong to read it!

Jack scowled at the wall. On the other hand, letting Sammy be private was the whole reason why no one knew about the book for so long. Not that that was a good reason to break his privacy but what if it was something equally bad? What if it indicated Sammy being manipulated again by some evil force?

But what if it didn't? What if it was just the sad thoughts of a man in grief? What if it was just things Sammy regretted not saying after Jack got taken? What if it ruined any remaining good will between them?

Jack pulled the tablet out, determined. He was going to put it back in Sammy's room and pretend he never saw it in the first place! That was the  _ right _ thing to do!


	11. Letters To Jack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's rough, y'all. I do hope you enjoy though! ~Nobu

"Jack,

I don't even really know why I'm even writing this. You'll never read it. Even if I do get you back. But  _ fuck _ , I miss you. I don't know how to describe how broken i feel without you. It's… it's bad, babe. Everything is a million times worse without you. And I'm… I regret our fights more with every passing moment. I'm gonna get you back and when I do, I'm gonna make sure you never, ever feel unloved or ignored for even a second.

I, uh, I've moved. To that town you kept mentioning. King Falls. I got a job at the radio station. Tonight was my first night. It… Honestly? It freaked me out. Like, a man got  _ abducted by aliens _ , Jack! Live! On call! With me! And my new co-host… But still! Fucking  _ aliens _ , Jack! I don't know what I'll do if that's what happened to you. 

But I  _ will _ get you back. And then we can go home. We can start over.

Other than the abduction, though, the show went pretty smoothly? I had to convince my producer to join me, but he seemed to have fun once he got over himself. And before you ask, yes, he's cute and charming. But I'm  _ yours _ . Always and forever. 

Anyway, he's going to be a good host when we leave. Just gotta set him on that path, y'know?

So, yeah, that was my first day in King Falls. You were right, there's a lot of weird shit going on here. But we're gonna find each other and then we'll go home and live life, happy and out, just like you want. 

I promise.

Sammy"

Jack stared at the first entry, the first letter, in rapt attention. He didn't know how to react to what he'd just read. It was moving and sweet and so incredibly determined. When Sammy was newly carved apart by his loss. It was… there were no words to describe how he felt.

Jack found himself reading the next few entries but not really retaining much except a bone deep despair and guilt for not being there for Sammy. Jack closed the app in a rush, shoving the tablet into his pillowcase. He stood and swiped up his phone. He couldn't be in this apartment right now. In Sammy's home. He  _ needed _ to get out right  _ now _ .

So Jack rushed out the door and down the block. He wrapped his arms around himself. He didn't know what to do or where to go, he just needed to be  _ away _ . He couldn't keep track of time as he wandered the streets of King Falls. All he could focus on was to keep moving. Just keep moving.

***

Jack came back to reality as though the last bit of time was nothing but a dream. He was outside the BestBuy for some reason? Jack shook his head and went inside. He decided to wander the store, looking for something. He wasn't sure what, but he figured he'd know when he saw it.

It took a bit til he found it. He didn't know why or what had drawn him to it, but when he held it, he felt centered. Grounded. It was silly but Jack was okay with that.

"Hi there, can I help you find anything?" A voice broke into his reverie. 

Jack jumped, spinning to face the voice, "Oh, uh, no, I was just looking."

The employee, who looked a little familiar, smiled sympathetically, "Of course, sorry for startling you."

"It's okay. Um, thank you," Jack chuckled sheepishly and glanced at the name tag, "Leonard."

"Not a problem. Just let us know if you need any help, okay?" Leonard said. 

"Right, thank you." Jack nodded. As Leonard turned to leave, Jack noticed a couple of pride pins on his lanyard. That was cool.

Jack meandered over to the films to survey them, prize in hand. Eventually he found himself looking at Ghibli films. He'd always heard they were good but had never seen any of them. He hummed, trying to remember if Ben had any in his collection. He didn't think so.

Jack spotted an employee. It was Leonard. He wondered if it'd be okay to ask if he knew about the films? It'd be a lot to expect someone to have an opinion on everything in the store but it could be worth a shot, right?

"Um, excuse me, Leonard?" Jack asked. 

Leonard looked over and offered him a smile, "Yes sir?"

"I was wondering if you, um, if you knew anything about Ghibli films? I always heard they were good but I wouldn't know where to start watching?" Jack explained. 

"Oh, well, Ghibli films tend to be unconnected from one another." Leonard said, but his smile had grown more excited, "They're pretty weird, but also incredibly interesting and fun to watch. They feel like Disney's weird cousins. Kinda Labyrinth-y but more wholesome."

"Huh, okay." Jack nodded then smiled, "So do you have a favorite?"

Leonard laughed, "Maybe not a favorite, but the one that made me fall in love with them is Howl's Moving Castle. It's really fun, the world is amazingly built, the art is gorgeous and the soundtrack? To  _ die _ for!"

"That's quite high praise." Jack grinned, picking a copy from the stack, "Thank you."

"Of course! And I would be delighted if you came back to tell me what you thought!" Leonard was all but beaming now.

"Even if I hate it?" Jack raised a challenging brow.

"Yes, actually." Leonard replied, a bit of mischief in his eyes, "Because then I can ask why."

Jack couldn't help his chuckle, "Fair enough."

***

"Jack,

They know.  _ Fuck _ , they know. They know about me and you. They know. The whole fucking town knows. Everyone. I should've been the one to tell them, not  _ Frickard _ . Frog loving son of a bitch! He outed me to the whole town! We were live! And just because the sick bastard wanted to  _ propose _ to a woman who doesn't even  _ like _ him! Fuck!

Oh yes, Emily punched me for gaslighting her and otherwise manipulating her and has clearly chosen to be around Ben instead, let me just propose! Fucking Greg! I wish I could trade him for you, Jack. Jesus.

I can't believe Ben knows now. I don't know how I expected him to find out but I'm not sure I'd hoped for patiently listening and then pulling me in for a hug. He wants to try to save you, the heroic idiot. I… I told him not to. He's gone through enough to get his own happy ending. He owes it to himself to live a happily ever after with Emily. He deserves it. She deserves it. 

I hope he'll listen to me when I tell him not to, again… I don't know, Jack. I don't know.

Sammy"

Jack had one thought after reading this letter. Greg Frickard is going to wish he was never born.

***

Jack made his way into the restaurant with a cold fury running through his veins. The lobby and dining room were empty, the lights low. Jack couldn't help the vindictive smirk that found itself home on his lips.

Noise from the kitchen drew his gaze. A weaselly, white guy peeked out of the door. The greasy man grinned and rushed towards the lobby.

"Hi, welcome to Granny Frickard's Froggery, I'm Greg Frickard!" Greg spieled without even looking at Jack.

"Ah, so you're the piece of shit that outed Sammy live on air." Jack said, anger surfacing in a sneer.

"I- Wha- Who-?" Greg looked up at him in horror.

"Oh, little old me?" Jack smiled, a hand on his chest as he took a step forward, "I'm the ghost of Jack Wright and your worst nightmare."

Greg paled and stumbled back several steps, "L-look! I didn't mean to-! Sammy should've just let me finish my thought! I bought the air time!"

"Oh? So that makes it  _ alright _ ?" Jack snarled, stepping closer, "He interrupted you, so it was totally okay to reveal a  _ private _ piece of information that had  _ nothing _ to do with you?"

"I-I! He! W-well if S-Sammy wasn't such a d-dick!" Greg objected even as he cowered.

"Someone being a dick doesn't make it okay to drag their secrets out of the dark!" Jack exclaimed, "How would you like it if someone told everyone your deepest, darkest secret, Greg?! Hm?! Do you think  _ you'd _ be okay with that?!"

"N-no, but-!" Greg was backed against a wall now.

"No, buts,  _ Greg _ , you will  _ never _ do something like that again, do you understand me?" Jack said.

Greg nodded with a whimper.

"Good. Now, just in case." Jack smiled. He raised his hands to his eye. He shifted his hands to look like he was pulling it out as he deftly applied fake blood and moved the fake eye from his sleeve. Jack placed the dripping fake eye on the table in front of Greg, fake blood running down his face from his closed eye. Jack let his smile grow unhinged, "I'll be keeping an eye on you, Greg. Have a nice afternoon."

Greg  _ screamed _ and Jack drifted out of the restaurant with a grin. He was certain that that would deter any other problems from Frickard. 


End file.
